Bullying has become a high profile issue faced by many people, on a day to day basis. Most Americans believe that, a little teasing and bullying at school is just a childhood rite of passage. What they don’t know is that, there are long lasting, ramifications for victims, as well as for bullies; according to the 2009 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Center (Harvard University, 2009). Bullied children may acquire debilitating mental illnesses such as, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and in more serious cases suicidal tendencies. Chronic childhood bullying victims are at higher risks of suicide. “Bullying magnifies these genetic and environmental predisposing risk factors” (Veskler, 2011). A new wave of research shows that in fact, bullying can leave a negative, permanent imprint on a child’s brain, while still in its formative years. These neurological scars of a bullied victim closely resemble those of a physically or sexually abused child. Revealing these psychological long-term effects, has given the ability to precast bullying not just as a “rite of passage, but a serious form of childhood trauma” (Anthes, 2010).…